


Surface Tension

by helloshepard



Series: what we owe to each other [5]
Category: Marvel, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Awkward Conversations, Bodysharing, Developing Relationship, Klyntar Worldbuilding, Lack of Communication, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, References to other Marvel movies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-02 19:22:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16311203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloshepard/pseuds/helloshepard
Summary: “Are you happy here? Like,” Eddie shuddered as Venom snarled and their bones vibrated in protest, but he continued. “You’re an alien.”You’re an alien.Venom growled in Eddie’s ear.“I’m not?” Eddie managed.Yes you are.Venom materialized more fully, only ducking away when a group of kids passed by.“I’m not an alien!” Eddie protested.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't what I wanted to write at all, but w/e.

They headed down the street.

It was a rare sunny day, and Eddie felt a spring in his step that wasn’t entirely his own. Venom had partially materialized; Eddie could feel the symbiote just under his skin soaking up the sun as it hit his shoulders.

A local artist had commemorated the recent scuffle between Ant-Man and some corporate stooges, painting a massive portrait of Ant-Man hiding against the wall of an apartment complex. It had appeared virtually overnight, and Eddie had been tasked with figuring out how to take a picture of the thing for a short article on his blog. It wasn’t exactly the kind of work he had signed up for, but probationary periods were par for the course in journalism, and at least __this__ didn’t involve sucking up to a corrupt CEO under the guise of an ‘interview’.

Truthfully, Eddie had been relieved; Ant-Man’s escapades had redirected the attention away from the car chase that he had been involved in just a few months prior. Venom rustled at the memory, savoring the half-remembered sensation of adrenaline.

Eddie rounded the corner. He had seen his fair share of street art, but this one was __impressive,__ stretching from the sidewalk to the roof. As it was, Eddie had a fantastic view of Scott Lang’s ankles, but not much else.

 ** **Climb the flag pole**** , Venom suggested, unhelpfully. ****You’ll get a better bullet.****

“Shot,” Eddie corrected automatically. “It’s a shot I’m trying to get. And no. I’m not climbing that.”

****Same thing.** **

“It’s really not.”

Eddie pulled out his camera. Venom settled back against Eddie’s shoulders. There was no immediate danger from the camera or the pedestrians, so Venom was more than happy to return to reviewing whatever sitcom he’d been watching last night.

Eddie leaned against the building opposite Ant-Man’s portrait and frowned. Since Ant-Man’s fight…battle…thing, it had been quiet in San Francisco. With the attention taken off him and the Life Foundation, he and Venom had quickly settled into a routine revolving primarily around work and food. At the thought of _food _,__ Venom stirred, settling back down only when it was clear there was nothing to eat. Eddie fumbled in his bag for the wide angle lens and swapped it out.

In a word: _boring _.__ A boring Eddie was used to (a boring he enjoyed, to be honest; intergalactic disputes, aliens, and the like just aren’t his thing), but after what he and Venom had gone through, it almost felt like a letdown, as if someone had yanked the rug from under their feet.

Eddie wasn’t sure where his feelings on the matter ended and Venom’s began.

( ** **I like it here,**** was all Venom would say when questioned.)

“Ven?”

Venom perked up. Eddie felt the symbiote coalesce, waking from a half-sleep to partially emerge, a thin tendril that nudged Eddie’s jaw.

****My name is Venom.** **

“I know bud. It’s a nickname.”

 ** **Oh.**** Venom hummed, thoughtful. ****Okay. What did you want?****

“Are you happy here? Like,” Eddie shuddered as Venom snarled and their bones vibrated in protest, but he continued. “You’re an alien.”

 ** _ ** _You’re_**_** ** **an alien.****  Venom growled in Eddie’s ear.

“I’m not?” Eddie managed.

****Yes you are.** **

Venom materialized more fully, only ducking away when a group of kids passed by.

“I’m not an alien!” Eddie protested.

 ** **Yes you are.**** Venom curled around Eddie’s shoulder and his head fully emerged, only to bite Eddie’s jacket collar.

“Regardless!” Eddie offered a thin smile to another pedestrian. “Aren’t you getting bored? I mean, you guys have _spaceflight _.__ You can travel to other planets, to see things I’ve never dreamed of!”

****And?** **

Eddie sighed. He had cut into the crux of the matter without even realizing it. Despite their shared status as Losers, Eddie ultimately was a Human Loser, and Venom was a Loser from Outer Space, and Eddie wasn’t stupid enough to ignore the distinction between the two.

“Don’t you miss it?”

 ** **Not really.**** Venom was obviously irritated, and Eddie shivered under the symbiote’s displeasure. ****I told you.****

“Look,” Eddie swallowed, trying to phrase his words in a way Venom would understand. “I know you chose me and all that, but…”

 ** **But nothing.**** Venom growled. ****I chose**** ** _ **you** ** _._**_**

“I know!”

****Do you?** **

“Yes?”

Venom snarled again, constricting to a tight ball in his chest before falling silent. Eddie signed.

 

* * *

 

 

Venom remained silent for the rest of the photo shoot. An hour later, they were walking back to the apartment. The sun had fled behind the clouds, giving way to a gentle drizzle. Eddie shuffled his feet, not trying to dodge the puddles as his footsteps splashed on the pavement.

The symbiote’s presence was a heavy pit in his gut. Even as Eddie thought about Venom, the symbiote merely growled, though there was no bite in the sound.

They walked another block.

“I’m sorry.” Eddie said. “It’s just…”

Venom was silent.

“Can you help me out here?” Eddie said.

Venom sighed, and Eddie nearly gasped as the symbiote uncurled in Eddie’s gut, spreading throughout Eddie’s chest.

**_**What** **_._ ** _ **

“I just don’t understand how you’ve seen so much--I think you have, at least--and still want to stay here.” __With me.__

They crossed the street. A car sped past, spraying Eddie with muddy water. Despite the circumstances, Venom chuckled in Eddie’s ear.

 ** **This argument,**** Venom said. ****Assumes ~space~ is as wonderful as you think.****

“Isn’t it?”

Venom partially emerged, quickly absorbing the water drenching Eddie’s clothes. Eddie went up the stairs two at a time, until they were in front of the apartment.

 ** **Not for us.**** Venom said. ****We are unwelcome on any civilized planet.****

Eddie managed a chuckle.

“I guess that makes sense.” He said. He fumbled with the lock, then stumbled inside, only for Venom to manifest fully. “What about your homeworld?”

****What about it?** **

“Could you go back there? Do you want to?”

 ** **No.**** Venom somehow managed to look uncomfortable, despite being nothing more than a grimacing face with far too many teeth. ****Klyntar is not for us.****

Eddie frowned.

“You got yourself kicked out of your homeworld too?”

 ** **No.**** Venom headed to the kitchen counter, leaving only a thin tendril attached to Eddie’s shoulder. ****When we are born, we leave Klyntar. When we die, we return to Knull’s embrace.****

Venom selected a king size chocolate bar and devoured it, wrapper and all.

“I thought you didn’t die.”

 ** **Everything dies.**** Venom said simply. ****Do**** ** _ ** _you_**_** ** **want to go to space?****

Just the thought of it made his stomach flip-flop uncomfortably.

“Not really.”

 ** **Then I don’t see what the issue is.**** Venom settled back in Eddie’s chest, radiating smugness. ****I chose you. We will not return to space--to Klyntar--until it is time to die, and that time is not now.****

Eddie swallowed. Despite Venom’s smugness, his satisfaction that he had won, Eddie was still uncomfortable.

“I’ll be with you, then.” Eddie said. “Till the end.”

Eddie felt his mouth split into a grin that was not entirely his own.

 ** **Of course, Eddie.**** Venom said. ****We are together until the end. Until Klyntar and Knull come for us, we are together.****

Eddie could live with that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'know, it'd be great if I could keep the tone consistent from chapter to chapter! Rating increase for some...stuff at the end, and also for stuff in the last chapter.

By the time the sun set behind the clouds, Eddie had finished the blog post on the Ant-Man graffiti earlier and was in the middle of researching the subject of his next article. His boss had been hinting that once his probationary period was over, Eddie would be on the next flight to either New York or Wakanda, and Eddie wasn’t particularly looking forward to either of those options.

****I would like to go to New York,**** Venom said unhelpfully. Eddie grimaced as Venom imagined climbing up the Empire State Building ala King Kong.

_“No._ Besides, you'd hate flying."

Venom huffed. A tendril emerged and grabbed the last of the fries.

****Better than Sakaar.** **

“Where?”

****Garbage world. Imagine your apartment, but planet-sized.** **

“Rude.” Eddie closed his laptop and leaned back, stretching out stiff neck muscles. “How many planets’ve you been to, anyway?”

Venom shrugged with Eddie’s shoulders.

“Okay.” Eddie could smell evasiveness a mile away. A different approach, then. “What was your favorite planet?”

****Earth.** **

Well, he’d walked into that one.

“Besides Earth.”

Venom nestled in deeper in Eddie’s chest.

****Any planet you’re on.** **

Despite himself, despite Venom blatantly avoiding the question, Eddie couldn’t entirely hide a blush. He stood and tossed the oil-stained paper in the trash, then grabbed a chocolate bar out of their quickly-dwindling supply and sat on the couch. Venom apparently had no preference of brands, consuming convenience store chocolate and Ghiradelli Square goods with the same enthusiasm.

Venom extended a tendril to grab the remote and switched on the television.

“So.” Eddie stared blankly at the television. He wasn’t sure if this was one of Venom’s shows; he didn’t recognize the characters from the images that floated through his mind while he was on the edge of waking up.

_****Arrested Development,****_ was all Venom supplied for an answer, before _cackling_ as one of the characters revealed a hook for a hand. Secondhand laughter is contagious, even moreso when you’re on all levels attached to the one who’s laughing, and after a moment Eddie was chuckling as the hook-handed man’s family screamed and tried to escape. ****See? He’s all-right.****

Eddie could only shake his head.

“I need to get you out more.”

****To eat? Yes.** **

“No.” Eddie said, reaching down to pat Venom’s head as he slid out of Eddie’s shoulder. “How old are you, anyway?”

Venom ran his tongue across rows of deadly sharp teeth as he thought. Eddie broke off a piece of chocolate and tossed it to Venom without looking.

****Conversion to nonstandard time is difficult.** **

“Best guess?” The hook-handed man accidentally pulled down part of his welcome-home banner, revealing a sign that said _You're Killing Us, Buster!_

****Somewhere between one decade and two thousand of your years.** **

Eddie rolled his eyes and tossed Venom another piece of chocolate.

“That’s quite a margin of error.”

Venom moved upward, making himself quite comfortable in the crook of Eddie’s neck. From this distance, Eddie could smell him; fried food and cheap chocolate and seawater, all mixed in with something familiar he couldn’t quite place.

****Your planet utilizes an inefficient system based on solar rotations.** **

“Well, you wanted to stay here, bud.”

Impatient, Venom swiped the rest of the chocolate out of Eddie’s hand.

****For**** ** _ **you** ** _._**_** ** **Not your planet, though your world’s entertainment is…delightful. I am not planning on sharing us. Sharing**** _ ** **you****_ ** **.**** At that, Venom stopped, as though he’d admitted a little too much.

Eddie wiped his mouth, suddenly embarrassed, both by Venom’s admission and the fact that he, apparently, would have been a hot commodity among Venom’s people.

“Is that a thing? Sharing hosts?”  

****A host like you is rare.**** Eddie’s skin crawled uncomfortably as Venom considered his next words. ****Ordinarily, you would be saved for the strongest of us. Shared among them as they wished.****

“I’m flattered, I guess?”

 Eddie tried to picture Riot in place of Venom, curled up on his shoulder and watching stupid sitcoms while licking a chocolate wrapper clean. Somehow, he couldn’t get the image to stick. Tried to ignore the fact that Venom had obviously distinguished _Venom_ and _them _,__ as if the higher-ups in symbiote society occupied a place totally foreign to him. A place Eddie theoretically belonged, if only as a weird, not(?)-sex toy that obviously had no human equivalent. A really, really, valuable maid, maybe? A chauffeur?

Venom hissed, snapping at Eddie’s ear.

****You’re** ** **_**mine** **_,_ ** _ ** ****Eddie. Not theirs. Never theirs.** **

Home _ _,__ Eddie realized. Venom smelled like _home _,__ like a weird combination of everywhere that had ever made him feel safe. It was probably some kind of biological mechanism, the rational part of Eddie’s brain knew, to more easily endear the symbiote to a potential host, like the deep sea fish from _Finding Nemo,_ armed with a light to attract prey.

Eddie settled back against the couch. Venom had turned his focus from the television to Eddie, watching his thoughts with rapt, albeit confused, attention.

**_**Mine** ** _._**_** Venom repeated, as though the repetition of the word could shove away their anxieties.

“I know, Ven.” Eddie said.“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments & constructive crit are greatly appreciated! hmu on [the tumblrs ](http://soundwavereporting.tumblr.com) if you've got prompts or stuff.


	3. Chapter 3

****Look.**** Venom said, gesturing with a tendril to the older man’s dog. ****It’s you. Eddie.****

Eddie rolled his eyes. Venom coalesced on his shoulder before spreading out, a thin blanket draped across his body. _Arrested Development_ had given way to _Frasier_ a few hours ago, right around the time Venom had inhaled the last of their chocolate stash.

“Do you actually watch these, or is it just something to do while I’m asleep?”

Venom huffed.

****Of course I watch them. Frasier wants to fix Eddie. Martin loves Eddie, but wants Eddie to remain broken. Why?** **

Eddie squinted at the television, trying to figure out the episode’s plot.

“The dog’s fine, Ven.” Eddie said. “When they mean fixing, they mean making it so he can’t have puppies.”

 ** **Oh.**** For a minute, Venom was silent. Then:

****Dogs require multiples to populate?** **

Eddie had the feeling this conversation was fast approaching the limits of his biology knowledge, but nodded.

“So do most species on Earth. I think.”

Venom made a vague noise of acknowledgement. Frasier and his father fought over a box of puppies, presumably dog-Eddie’s offspring.

 ** **Their spawn are so small. So fragile.**** Venom bristled with something akin to pride. ****Symbiotes are never that weak.****

Eddie was _definitely_ not qualified to be having this conversation. On the television, dog-Eddie ran away from Frasier.

“You guys have _kids?”_

 ** **Not with each other.**** Venom sounded disgusted that Eddie would even ask. ****We spawn individually. Young are immediately left to fend for themselves, to seek out their own hosts. The only intercourse we experience is for recreation.****

And now Eddie was imagining a whole planet of goo and slime,writhing in a single puddle of host and symbiote and…

 ** **Something like that.**** Venom affirmed, and Eddie suddenly thought he understood what Venom had meant by _shared _.__ Oh. _Oh _.__

“So…” Eddie wasn’t sure why he was asking, why he insisted on continuing this conversation that was intensely uncomfortable for both of them. He decided to blame it on being a reporter, on the instinctive response to treat this situation as though he held limited personal stake in the matter. “Do you have little symbiote kids running around the galaxy somewhere?”

 ** **No.**** Venom settled back against Eddie’s shoulder. ****The circumstances must be ideal.****

“Ideal how?”

 ** **I am…not sure.**** Venom admitted. ****It is different for every symbiote. Our safety is a component of the spawning process, but is not the only factor.****

“Oh. Okay.” Eddie grimaced. “Just let me know. If you’re gonna spawn, or whatever.”

 ** **Of course.**** Venom said. On the television, Frasier’s brother was wandering around a park at night. They had lost dog-Eddie. Typical. Even a television character sharing his name couldn’t catch a break. ****I’m going to spawn. We’ll put the babies in a box and hand them out to your neighbors.****

“Funny.”

Venom huffed.

****Well, what if I was?** **

Dog-Eddie jumped onto Frasier’s car. Eddie yawned and Venom adjusted positions, tucking the goo-blanket a little closer around their body.

“Uh.” Eddie frowned, wishing his hands weren’t stuck in a pile of goo. “Um.”

**_**Eddieeeee** **_._ ** _ **

Eddie groaned.

“I’d love the little parasite as much as I love you, bud.”

Eddie felt a Venom’s surprise, a bright spark against the current of black and gray.

****You love me?** **

The words slipped out, easier than they had with Anne. Far easier than they had with anyone else.   
”Course I do.” Eddie offered a small smile, wishing he could see Venom’s face. Even though he could feel the current of Venom’s thoughts pressed against his own, not seeing the symbiote’s face was always a little disconcerting.

 ** **Well.**** Venom coiled tighter in Eddie’s chest. ****Then I love you too. Loser.****

“Parasite.”

****Pussy.** **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The episode of Frasier mentioned in this fic is 2x02 "The Unkindest Cut of All".   
> As always, comments and constructive crit are appreciated! hmu on soundwavereporting.tumblr.com if you've got any prompts!

**Author's Note:**

> hmu @soundwavereporting if you've got prompts or stuff. I'm planning out a multi-chapter sequel to the movie, but I gotta get a better handle on the characters first. Comments & constructive feedback are always appreciated!


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